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C h a p t e r 9
Eating for Health and Performance
Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa (self-imposed starvation) and bulimia
nervosa (binge/purge syndrome) are defined as severe disturbances in eating
behavior. Female athletes are at greater risk for eating disorders than are female
non-athletes or males. Eating disorders are more prevalent in sports where appearance
is judged, in weight-classification sports, and in sports that emphasize leanness to
enhance performance.
Abnormal eating patterns do not always mean the athlete has an eating disorder.
There is, however, cause for concern if an athlete shows the following signs or behaviors:
• Dramatic weight loss or extreme fluctuations in weight
• Claims to feel fat at normal or below normal weight
• Preoccupied with food, calories and weight
• Amenorrhea (loss of menstruation)
• Often eats secretively – avoids eating with the team
• Often disappears after eating, especially after a large meal
• Mood swings
• Excessive exercise that is not part of training regimen.
Do not attempt to diagnose or treat an athlete with an eating order. Anorexia
nervosa and bulimia nervosa are very complex problems and require treatment by
medical professionals. Your role should be to help the athlete contact a medical
professional that specializes in treating eating disorders. If the athlete denies having
a problem, but the evidence appears undeniable, consult with a physician who will
assist you with the situation.
Several risk factors or triggers have been identified that are associated with the
development of eating disorders in athletes. Compared to other athletes, athletes with
eating disorders began both sports-specific training and dieting earlier, and felt that
puberty occurred too early for optimal performance. Other triggers included prolonged
periods of dieting, frequent weight fluctuations, a sudden increase in training
volume, and traumatic events such as injury or loss of a coach. Many athletes who
began dieting to improve performance reported that their coach recommended they
lose weight. The risk for eating disorders was also increased when the weight loss was
unsupervised.
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